Sunken-ship-locating device.



L. PLACHEK.

SUNKEN SHIP LOCATING DEVICE. y APPLICATION Flyin MAY31.1911.

L v Patentedle. 11,1917.L

FIG.. a. Fmg. 9 99.

remise.

" 4Iriivvs BQLACHEK, or AKRON, omo. il,

.To all-whom t may concern.' y Y r p Be it known that I, Lnwis `PtmncI-nnt, a subjectof the King ofHungary, residing at Akron, in thercounty of. Summit and State of Ohio,.have invented certain `new vand use-KV 4 ful Improvements in Sunkenp-Ship-Locating Devices, of Whiclrthe` following is al `specifi;u

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cation.`

`This invention tojcertainznew and, useful improvementsl inusunken` shlp lo- The primaryobject ofthe invention' is :to provide device to be carried by shipsor other floating vessel intheform of a buoyant member that is adapted to be attached by a cordor Cable to the carrying ship and upon the sinking of the ship to be released therefrom and rise to the surface of the water to give an approximate location ofthe sunken vessel. 4

Another objectof the invention is to provide a device for locating `a sunken vessel in which there is provided a device adapted for attachment to the vessel and having a buoyant member to rise to the surface of the water to indicate the approximate position of the sunken vessel with means for retarding the rising movement of thebuoyant member.. Y

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same Vconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 isa vertical sectlonalview of a ship locating device constructed 1n accordance with the present invention, and,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the reference numeral designates what may be` termed the mam body portion of the device, the same being in the form of a block of any suitable material and preferably of the shape as is disclosed in Fig. 1. This block`5 is adapted to have connected thereto a buoyant member in the form of an enlarged ball-shaped element 6 having a fiatbottom wall 7 and depending side anges 6, the bottom wall 7 v Specification of Letters Patent.. ifi-i I Appiieatiqn inea Mayai, 1917. l serial nq. 171,892. n

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while?` the depending flanges 8 entirely in! close the blockfas is illustrated. ,The .ball-n shaped` member 6 may be formed of any waterproof Vmaterial desired as rubber,".` orA rubberized fabricland has an openingin its i restingfuponftheupperface ofthe block`5` upper endthroughwhich ,the samemaybe;

charged withairfor gasa-nd.A closed by a valveplug T9.` rkpairwoffs'ide plateslO is` connected tofoppositesidesof the block `.tias

by cross rods 11, thecrossrods 1 1 extending completely through the Ablock1.5,.depending flanges `8of`the buoyant memberf6. and side plates -10as 'is Vclearlyillustrated in F ig.` 1.

vAishaft 12'is""journaled inbearings lhpro- .videdin the sideplates 10 and is adapted'to gilipport between the side plates, a winding reel 14 having wound thereon a cord or cable 15 one end of the cable being connected to the reel 14 while the other end is adaptedA to carry an anchor 16 or other form of ship attaching member as may be desired.

Thedevice may be positioned upon any exposed portion of the ships deck and the anchor 16 thereof connected to some portion of the ship: so that should the ship for any reason sink, the buoyant member 6 will be entirelyfreed therefrom and by its buoyancy tend to riseto the surface of the water and accordingly unwind the cable 15 from `the reel 14 and give theapproximate location of the sunken ship. In order to prevent a too fast unwinding of the reel and a consequent entanglement of the cable thereon, I have provided means for retarding the rising movement of the buoyant member, this means including a beveled gear 17 fixed to an extended end of the shaft 12 and adapted to rotate during .the unwinding movement of the reel, the beveled gear 17 meshing with a pinion 18 fixed upon the lower endV of a stub shaft journaled in vertically alined bracket 20 carried by the adjacent side plate 10. A screw propeller 21 is fixed to the upper end of the stub shaft 19 and rotates in a direction during the unwinding of the reel 14 to retard the upward movement of the buoyant member 6. By this construction the float 6 will slowly rise to the surface of the water and the cable 15 upon the reel 14 will be prevented from becoming entangled by too hasty unwinding of the same.

While the form of the invention as herein shown and described is what is believed to sov nevertheless to be understood that minor changes maybe madethereinv without delaterally of one side plate,l a 'winding reel fixed to vsaid shaft intermediate said side Y plates, 'an anchor element carried by the'free end ofl said reel, and ,means operated bythe .funwinding ,movement of said reel for' retarding the rising movement ofthe buoyant member. "f

a. A/-Siipimang device embodying a 'I bodyblock, la buoyant` member -fixedz thereto,

e side ""plates" depending` therefrom, a, shaft fjoumale'd inthe side plates and `extending laterally ofone side plate, al winding V reel fixed to lsaid shaft intermediate v.saidside plates',`a n anchor element carried by the free endfoffsaid reel, means for Vretarding thev j rising mo'vementv ofthe buoyant member in-r cluding a screw propeller operated by the unwinding movement of the reel.

3. A ship-,locating device embodying a body block, a buoyant member iixed thereto, side plates depending therefrom, a shaft journaled in the side plates and extending laterally of one side plate, a winding reel propeller Xed to the upper end of said stubv shaft, the said' gears and kpropeller being operated during unwinding movement of the reel. v A n n In testi y"ony whereof I affixv my signature.

`Lewis roLAoi-IEK.

` (rlop'iesk'fr'tlnisipateirtmaybev obtained for'five cents each, by addressigitho Commissioner-of Patents, r 

